To date in general, radiographic imaging apparatuses that detect radiation rays radiated to and transmitted through objects are widely used. Such image taking has generally been performed with the film-screen method or the computed radiography (CR) method. In either of the above methods, a container case, which is standardized as a cassette, is used in taking an image. The container case contains a photographic sensitive film or a phosphor plate that stores an image as a latent image.
Recently, a digital radiography (DR) method, in which a radiographic image is taken and digitized using semiconductor sensors, has also been developed. This method has been in practical use in portable radiographic imaging apparatuses. However, since the radiographic imaging apparatus using the DR method includes a number of electronic components therein, the DR method radiographic imaging apparatus is heavy compared to a related art radiographic imaging apparatus using the cassette method despite efforts that have been made to make the DR method radiographic imaging apparatus lighter.
PTL 1 discloses a cassette carrier into which a radiographic imaging apparatus is inserted in a direction parallel to a radiation detecting surface.
The radiographic imaging apparatus is inserted into the cassette carrier disclosed in PTL 1 in the direction parallel to the radiation detecting surface. Since such a cassette carrier is constructed so as to cover the radiation detecting surface of the radiographic imaging apparatus, the cassette carrier becomes heavy in weight and portability thereof is reduced.
Also in this cassette carrier, since a side surface adjacent to the radiation detecting surface is narrow in width, there is a possibility that the radiographic imaging apparatus is damaged when it is subject to external shock. The cassette carrier having an exposed side surface does not sufficiently protect the radiation detecting surface against external shock.